Practice golf ball



' Feb. 12, 1924.;

. w. L. EATON-- PRACTICE GOLF BALL Filed May 4. 1922 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 12, 11924.

. srA'rss 1,483,165 PATENT OFFICE.

WASHINGTON LIBBEY EATON, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PRACTICE GOLF BALL.

Application filed May Q1922. Serial No. 558,413.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it lmown that 1, WASHINGTON LIBBEY EATON, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Holyoke, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Practice Golf Balls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to practice golf balls, more particularly to a type of ball which may be used either indoors or-outdoors. It is-espec'ially adapted, however,

Y for use where distances are limited or where one desires to avoid losing the ball or injuring objects such as windows in adjacent buildings, or the furnishings in a building in which it may be used.

The object of this invention is to provide a practice golf ball simulating as far as possible a regulation ball, but so constructed as to travel a limited distance; and. at the same timeto provide the mental hazard of the regulation ball, in appearance and manner of flight, though falling short in distance.

An object of the invention is to provide a ball made of resilient material, such as ,gutta-percha rubber, celluloid, wood, or

treated paper which resembles in size and general appearance a golf ball, butwhich,

" on account of its construction, will travel a considerably less distance than a standard ball.

Another objectof the invention is to pro-' vide such a ball with suitable means, such as holes therein, to render the .ball sluggish.

This is for the purpose of making it impossible to drive the ball more than a short distance.

The accompanying drawings show .for

purposes of illustration five of the many embodiments .in which' the invention may take form. In these drawings, Fig. 1 is an ,elevational view of a ball having square holes in the outer wall of the ball; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the of Fig. 1; and p Figs. 3,4, 5 and 6 are sectionsv showing modified forms of ball.

The ball 4 illustrated in Figs. 1 and2 is preferably a hollow ball of the same size line i as a standard .golf ball, The walls 5 of the ball are made fairly thick in order that the ball will be strong enough to stand u under the usage-to which it is to be put. T e outer 1 side of the ball is shown as being roughened the regulation ball and'thereforq a by means of parallel ridges 6, but it is of course obvious that the roughening might be omltted or that it might be in the form of pimples or dimples, or any of the other configurations commonly used on regular golf balls. I

The wall 5 of the ball is provided with a large number of apertures? which so change the properties of the ball that, when it 1s hit, it does not travel far in. response to the blow. In Figs. 1 and 2 the apertures 7 are shown as being square holes. These holes so disturb the air currents about the ball that very high air resistance is brought about, thereby causing the ball to fall short.

According to the modification shown in Fig. 3, the wall 5 of the ball is, provided with a pluralit of round apertures 8. It

is, of course, 0 vious that many shapes of apertures other than square or round could be used for the purpose indicated.

Fig. 4 illustratesa modified form of ball in gvhich a central core 9 of suitable material su ports by means of a plurality of plugs 10 an outer wall 11.. This outer wall is provide holes orapertures thereby roughening so the surface of the ball to such-an extent that its flight is retarded on account of increased friction. r o I The. ball shown in Fig. 6 is also a ball having a solid core 15. It is alsoprovided with a plurality of holes or apertures 16 which project inwardly from the surface of the. ball. 7

Balls such as have been described are particularly well adapted for use as a practice golf ball. They are made the same size as player desiring to practice may use one ofthese balls with his regular golf clubs and may 9 therefore address the ball in the usual fashion. He can .practiceswi nging the club, hitting the ball, and use any of the various.

clubs he desires without driving the ball a great distance. Practice can be carried on in any suitable place where it is desired,

whether it be from a regular tee, in the yard, or indoors, without the likelihood of 5 has a s5 losing the ball, injuring by-standers or surrounding objects. The ball is made in such a manner that it is retarded, and therefore does not travel far...

} It is understood that such a ball could be used in places and at times where the use of a re lar ball would be impractical. One could rive out a large number of balls with little danger of loss or damage, inasmuch as the retrievin of them is a comparatively easy matter, addying may be avoided.

What is claimed is:

l. A. golf practice ball, said ball being hollow in construction, of substantially the same size as the balls employed in the usual golf game, and being provided with nuinterior of the ball, said apertures being of v a size such as not to materially detract from the rotundity of the ball. 2. A golf practice ball, said ball being hollow in construction, of substantially the same size as the balls employed in the usual golf game, the outer surface of the wid ball eing provided with numerous openings whereby said ball is caused to collapse upon being struck by a club so as to materially reduce the initial velocity imparted to it, and to permit the rush of air through the ball so as to cause the ball rapidly to lose its initial velecity.

VVASHINGTQN LEBBEY EA'ILUNQ 

